Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Parallel translations
- WEB But this kind doesn’t go out except by prayer and fasting.”
- NKJV However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This verse, where present, says such a demon comes out only by prayer and fasting. It stresses dependent, prayerful reliance on God for spiritual battles.
Overview
Many of the earliest manuscripts do not contain this verse, and most modern translations omit or bracket it (compare Mark 9:29); faithful scholars differ on its originality. Whatever its textual standing, its sense is sound: deliverance from entrenched evil comes through humble dependence on God in prayer, not human technique. It reinforces the lesson on faith just given.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 17:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.